S03E04: Looking After Your Conservator - a podcast by The C Word

We team up with Lorraine Finch to talk about how to look after your conservator: we cover topics like wellbeing and self-care, while also discussing what employers and managers can do to keep staff in good condition. We talk to Dr Michelle Huws-Thomas about burnout and stress in the workplace, and we interview Sam Jenkins from the Museum Wellness Network. Also tune in for a review of ‘Objective Lessons: Self Care for Museum Workers’ by Seema Rao.

00:01:04 News in brief
00:05:11 Defining ‘wellbeing’ and ‘self care’
00:07:32 What’s wellbeing to us?
00:17:46 Lab pets and yoga practice
00:22:11 The power of body language
00:25:23 Swedish fika and the art of taking a break
00:28:11 Different types of stress
00:35:28 Mindfulness and its place in conservation
00:41:43 Mental health: Lorraine and Jenny’s stories
00:48:45 Tips for improved wellbeing
00:50:17 Interview with Dr Michelle Huws-Thomas
01:05:41 Warning signs and remembering to recharge
01:07:30 Rust out
01:11:45 Interview with Sam Jenkins
01:21:18 Review: Objective Lessons - Self Care for Museum Professions

Show Notes:
- Article on clothes moth spread: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/22/how-to-avoid-clothes-moths-live-in-the-east-midlands
- Pests in Houses Great and Small - Identification, Prevention and Eradication by Dee Lauder and David Pinniger: https://amzn.to/2HBYSBc
- Museum Practice on Wellbeing: https://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/wellbeing
- Staff and Volunteer Wellbeing article in Museum Practice (members only): https://www.museumsassociation.org/museum-practice/wellbeing/16042018-staff-and-volunteer-wellbeing
- Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk/
- Presence - Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy: https://amzn.to/2r94Q1r
- TED talk about the power of body language: https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are
- What is Fika? https://www.thekitchn.com/what-in-the-world-is-fika-an-intro-to-the-swedish-coffee-break-the-art-of-fika-219297
- Headspace app: https://www.headspace.com/
- The Curse of Lovely by Jacqui Marson: https://amzn.to/2I7SXmS
- Clore leadership course: https://www.cloreleadership.org/
- Rust Out: https://www.healthcentral.com/article/rustout-causes-symptoms-and-cures
- Mental Health First Aid training: https://mhfaengland.org/
- Joyful Museums: http://www.joyfulmuseums.com/
- The Happy Museum Project: http://happymuseumproject.org/
- Museum 5 a day: https://twitter.com/Muse5aday
- Museum Wellness Network: https://museumwellnessnetwork.wordpress.com/
- Objective Lessons - Self Care for Museum Professions: https://amzn.to/2KsSaLU

Further Resources:
- Jenny’s favourite yoga instructor on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene/videos
- The Blurt Foundation Resources: https://www.blurtitout.org/resources/
- Museum Wellness Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Museum_Wellness
- Mental Health at Work: https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/
- NHS Moodzone: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/

Book Recommendations from Lorraine and Jenny:
- Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain: https://amzn.to/2rbPGbV
- Sane New World - Taming the Mind by Ruby Wax: https://amzn.to/2vZd6a0
- The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer: https://amzn.to/2HKuv7C
- The Self-Care Project by Jayne Hardy: https://amzn.to/2HJrqVD

Support us on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/thecword

Hosted by Jenny Mathiasson, Kloe Rumsey and Lorraine Finch.

Intro and outro music by DDmyzik used under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Additional sound effects and music by Calum Robertson.

Made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license.

A Wooden Dice production, 2018.

Further episodes of The C Word (M4A Feed)

Further podcasts by The C Word

Website of The C Word